|
Publisher:
Ryland, Peters and Small , 2003 |
Release
Date: |
ISBN:
1841724742 |
Awards:
|
Format
Reviewed: |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Nonfiction/Design |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson |
Reviewer
Notes: Rating: 5 of 5
Reviewer, Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
is the award-winning author of This is the Place and Harkening:
A Collection of Stories Remembered |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
|
Style
on a Budget
Affordable
Ideas for a Relaxed Home
By Emily Chalmers,
words by Ali Hanan
Photography
by Debi Treloar
Trawling for Decorating Ideas?
Check Out Style on a Budget
This
book is exactly as advertised plus some. Style on a Budget by Emily
Chalmers and Ali Hanan is stylish and replete with ideas for decorating
that require little money.
Generally,
the reader will need to bring some of her own imagination to suggested
projects. This is not a step by step how-to but rather a muse for
design. One such suggestion that left me thinking about its possibilities
is that you can hot-wash old woolens (Goodwill Industries, anyone?)
to make felt that might texture pillows, windows, bedspreads or
the like.
I
found the authors’ suggestion that stuffing brightly colored
totes with clothes and toys might help organize an overflowing child’s
room promising. It is my belief that this book would be most useful
for those decorating a first apartment, a loft, a very small house,
or a second home but certainly this book will spark anyone’s
imagination.
The
authors offer penny-pinching ideas for fabrics, window treatments,
storage, flooring and other materials for the home. Readers will
find suggestions for finding treasures in unlikely places and making
do (creatively!) with inexpensive materials from places like IKEA,
Pier One Imports and flea markets. Resources such as these are included,
and picture credits are given. (By the way, the photographer, Debi
Treloar, is excellent and the paper quality and design make this
a coffee table book.)
At times
I wished for more how-to details (I wanted to know if a special
kind of paint is needed to turn an old bathtub hot pink) but this
is, after all, primarily a book of ideas and I’m sure my neighborhood
paint store can help me with such intricacies. All in all, Style
on a Budget will not disappoint. |